2012-2024 Trams to Blackpool North Railway Station: A "Comedy of Errors"

In April 2012, Blackpool's new tram system began with a fanfare running from Starr Gate to Fleetwood even though, on the first journey in passenger service, Bombardier Flexity 2, 006, derailed at Fleetwood Ferry due to a build up of sand in the track grooves.
On that first day, the start of a delta junction at North Pier was in evidence, paving the way for trams to Blackpool North Railway Station as part of ambitious plans to extend the Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramway.
Other phases were envisaged but, at the start of 2024, none of them has come to fruition.
By 2018, there was an abundance of evidence that things were finally happening as Talbot Road and then Talbot Square were excavated in readiness for the laying of new track once the existing track from the long defunct Layton line (closed in 1936) had been lifted to pave the way for new foundations.
The Blackpool North Railway Station branch was, according to a document published at the time, due to open during 2019 and progress seemed reasonably swift to the point that tracks reached the very front doors of Wilko's store on the junction of Talbot Road and Dickson Road.
There then seemed to be a stalemate at the store remained open for some time so trams to Blackpool North were definitely not on the cards for 2019, or even 2020 for that matter.
During 2020, the Covid pandemic put the brakes on most things but, by mid-September 2020, the Wilko's store was being demolished and progress seemed to be being made once more. The lease on the store had, apparently, not been terminated leading to the lengthy delays in getting things moving once more.
By early 2022, tracks, including a scissors crossover had been laid in the newly created Blackpool North Railway Station Plaza and a new hotel - to become the Holiday Inn Express - was in build.
By the end of June 2022, overhead catenary was in place and a period of tram testing began.
After initial teething problems and inevitable resetting of signals, by the end of the week of testing, things were looking good with multiple Bombardier Flexity 2s making the journey from North Pier to the station, curiously given the name "North terminus" - the working slang term for the area. It was soon pointed out that the North terminus is, in fact, in Fleetwood and a revised name board was produced stating "North Station".
Things were looking good and, surely it was a matter of time before trams were carrying fare-paying customers up and down Talbot Road. But it was not to be. Very soon, the overhead catenary was removed so that work could continue on the new hotel that, at the beginning of 2024, is still not open, nor are there any trams running in service.
The seemingly good news is that you can book a room at the hotel from June 2024 so there now has to be a good chance that trams will be able to run by then.
In mid-December 2023, the entrance to the tram station from Blackpool North Railway Station had a large sign erected stating "NORTH STATION TRAM STOP" on the easterly face and, erroneously, "BLACKPOOL NORTH TRAIN STATION" on the westerly face. It should read "BLACKPOOL NORTH RAILWAY STATION" as there is, grammatically no such thing as a train station.
We remain hopeful that this is, surely, good progress and that some kind of revenue earning service will run to and from Blackpool North Station during 2024 though it is difficult to work out what kind of co-ordinated service can be provided, with only 18 Bombardier Flexity 2s in the fleet, without destroying the Starr Gate to Fleetwood main tram service.
Perhaps, finally, the heavily rebuilt double deck "B fleet" can be pressed into service after all the money spent on them in the first place.
Of course, time will tell but we will be more than happy to report on trams to Blackpool North Railway station during the course of 2024.

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a Podbaba Transport presentation.
2nd January 2024